Though Mark Hamill will probably always be best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, in the realm of voice acting, there’s no question that his biggest role has been as the Joker, Batman’s nemesis. Hamill first voiced the Clown Prince of Crime Batman: The Animated Series, taking over the role of Tim Curry before the series premiered, and the past three decades have seen him play the cackling villain in all manner of TV shows, movies, and video games. Sadly, it seems Hamill’s time as The Joker is drawing to a close and the actor explains the heartbreaking but understandable reason why he’s unlikely to return to the role.
Last November, Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman alongside Mark Hamill’s Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and various other projects, he died at the age of 66. Hamill was one of the celebrities who paid tribute to Conroy, and as she spoke to Empire magazine (via ScreenRant), the Star Wars The actor shared that the main reason he kept playing Joker was if Conroy was involved in the project. With Conroy gone, Hamill’s heart is no longer on the card. In his words:
They’d call and say, “They want you to play the Joker,” and my only question was, “Is Kevin Batman?” If they said yes, I’d say “I’m in”. We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me.
Given the bond Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill have shared for nearly three decades, I don’t blame the latter for not being interested in playing the Joker now that the former is gone. Conroy’s Batman and Hamill’s Joker bonded like peanut butter and jelly, so fans should consider themselves lucky to have had so many matchups with these two across multiple continuities. Sure, it would be nice to hear Hamill continue to voice the Joker, but it wouldn’t be the same without hearing Conroy’s Batman with him.
Mark Hamill said it was a “gift” to be cast as the Joker after playing Luke Skywalker, as he was looking for a role that was “the complete opposite” of the Jedi “in every way”, and also “still”. . grateful” for how his outings with the Joker have enabled him to scare children. However, Hamill is retiring from the role, so his subsequent Joker appearances will include Batman: Deadly Joke, Action of the Justice Leaguean episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? and the video game MultiVersus, in which Kevin Conroy also provided the voice. We’ll hear Conroy voice Batman for the last time in the upcoming video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
If you want to revisit Mark Hamill’s Joker and/or Kevin Conroy’s Batman, most of their film and television appearances in the DC Comics space can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription. Hamill will soon be seen with Bert Kresicher in the outing of the movie in 2023. The carand also has a role in the upcoming Netflix miniseries. The fall of House Usher.
Source: Cinemablend
